Hawks pounce on Ponder in sweet homecoming win

Daniel Walker
Iowa Park Journal
Iowa Park (2-5, 1-2) defeated the Ponder Lions (5-3, 2-2) 26-20 last Friday for a sweet homecoming victory. The win also keeps the Hawks in the thick of the playoff race in District 4-3A.
The Hawks faced adversity early, with Ponder scoring on the second play of the game with a 74-yard TD for an early 6-0 lead, after the extra point doinked off the uprights with 11:14 left in the first.
The Hawks were also without starting quarterback Paxson Allen, ruled out in mid-week with a knee injury suffered in the last game. The Hawks rotated junior Gideon Towner and freshman Reed McClain as replacement, and they led the offense to perfection, throwing for 132 combined yards. McLain was called up from the JV just last Wednesday, and Towner has been a wide receiver. Coach Michael Swenson gave both game balls after the win.
“We had a rough week, our quarterback, he went down with a torn meniscus. We really didn’t find it out until late in the week,” Coach Swenson said on the field after the game. “Gideon has that it factor when he has the ball… (Reed) was having a ball, he did a good job commanding, controlling his emotions. I couldn’t be more happy for both of them.”
With the passing attack hobbled without the starting quarterback, the Hawks overpowered the Lions on the ground as they ran the ball 68 times for 340 yards. McClain had both a passing and rushing TD. Jemarr Myles had 37 carries for 205 yards and two TDs.
The defense was stout too, holding the Lions to just 216 total yards, including 97 on the ground and 216 through the air.
Myles gave the Hawks the lead, bulling in from the 4-yard-line on a Wildcat keeper with 6:31 left in the half for the 7-6 advantage. The Hawks extended the lead with a pretty pass. McClain threw a deep spiral to Kingston Ames, who spun around to make the catch at the Ponder 34, juking the defender into falling down as he made the catch. Ames raced down the right sideline with 2:51 left in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 14-6.
The Hawks struck again in the quarter. Myles took a wildcat snap and rushed in from the 8-yard-line on a second down play with 13 seconds left in the third quarter. The extra point was no good and Iowa Park led 20-6.
Ponder cut into the lead with a 52-yard TD catch by Braydon Brock to make it 20-13 with 11:38 left in the game.
The Hawks drove right back down the field, with Mark Lee taking a hand-off

Iowa Park freshman quarterback Reed McClain (11) breaks through the line with a block from senior lineman Caysen Eager (62) in last week’s homecoming win.
Brayden Sheppard/Iowa Park Journal

16-yards around the left end to inside the Lions 30. The Hawks scored on a QB keeper by McClain from the 6-yard line with 5:55 left in the game for a 26-13 lead. Ponder added a late 7-yard touchdown with 43 seconds left in the game for the final 26-20 score.